


the song that rings through you

by scpernovas



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Happy Ending, M/M, SakuAtsu, Strangers to Lovers, actor!atsumu, i hear a symphony: cody fry, i play piano so you get this, im bored, la la land au basically, liebesleid (loves sorrow): kriesler/rachmaninoff, nocturne op.9 no.1: chopin, pianist!sakusa, reverie: debussy, sorta angst not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 20:20:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30128301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scpernovas/pseuds/scpernovas
Summary: “OUT OF MY WAY I’M RUNNING LATE!”in which atsumu miya and sakusa kiyoomi meet in traffic, doubting they’ll see the other again, just to continually meet and think: hey, maybe these aren’t coincidences.
Relationships: Kita Shinsuke/Ojiro Aran, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou
Kudos: 7





	the song that rings through you

**Author's Note:**

> la la land au! sebastian is sakusa and mia is atsumu but yeahh :) i play piano and la la land is my favorite movie so. au!

_reverie; daydreaming of you_

It was a bright, sunny day in Tokyo, Japan. The sky was just the right amount of cloudy- fluffy clouds; clouds that looked like cotton candy scattered throughout the sky-, and a light breeze flowing through the air. The sun peeked through the clouds, and that mixed with the morning dew on Atsumu’s windshield was creating miniature rainbows in the passenger seat next to him. Given the atmosphere, he should have been in a great mood, but Atsumu was running extremely late to his audition.

“Oh my god,” he groaned into his steering wheel, gripping onto it as he pounded his head gently against the leather. Miniature honks came out of the car, and those around him were staring at him in mixtures of annoyance, confusion, and pity.

Finally worn out from his almost temper tantrum like rage, Atsumu rubbed his eyes with his palms and glanced over at the rumpled up packet of paper that sat next to him. “Might as well,” he muttered, picking it up and flipping through the worn out pages he had almost memorized in the past few days from reading it every night.

“No, yeah, I totally get it. Things aren’t working out between us, and maybe it’s for the best. You want your life, and I want mine. Maybe… maybe one day things will work out between us, and we’ll be able to live the life we planned out, but right now- HOLY CRAP WE’RE MOVING! WE’RE MO- HEY JERK! GET OUT OF MY WAY I’M RUNNING LATE!” Atsumu was in the middle of rehearsing his lines for his latest audition, which he only got courtesy of Shinsuke, but, right as he got to the best part of his monologue, the cars had begun to move.

“YOU WATCH IT! IF YOU’RE THAT LATE, THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE PLANNED BETTER, IDIOT!” the man who had just cut him off yelled back. Atsumu gasped, and flipped his middle finger at the man in the convertible and attempted to weave through traffic to cut the other off in retaliation.

The rush he got from arguing with the (hot) stranger got Atsumu so riled up that he actually made it to his audition in time, but, after seeing all of the other people there to audition, his mood plummeted. Walking into the building, he felt untouchable; like nothing could stop him. He was greeted with the fresh, clean scent that came from these expensive, industrial buildings that promised fame and fortune. His bubble of confidence popped at the sight of all the other males in front of him. It was no secret that Atsumu was slightly insecure, but being around so many other attractive and talented people brought out the insecurities he tried so desperately to mask through false confidence.

“Miya Atsumu,” a female voice rang out through the waiting area. Everyone looked around, waiting for someone to stand up and follow the woman into the audition room. No one answered her call. “Miya Atsumu, one last time,” she sighed, rolling her eyes and glancing down at the cheap watch on her wrist. _So unprofessional,_ she thought to herself. 

Atsumu had just gotten out of the elevator, so he was caught off guard. A little less than a hundred pairs of eyes were on him, and he had no clue why. “Are you Miya Atsumu?” a soft-spoken male next to the elevator door asked. He nodded.

“He’s Miya!” he yelled to the impatient woman across the room. Atsumu’s eyes widened in embarrassment.

“Hurry up, you’re about to get skipped,” the woman scoffed as she beckoned him forward. Atsumu awkwardly ran over to the door she was holding open and walked in.

“Hello, I’m Miya Atsumu, I’m twenty-three, and I’m going to be reading from page two of the script,” he slated. The director was unbothered, not even looking at Atsumu as he announced himself to the group.

The actor stood there in an awkward silence, his eyes glancing back and forth between the director, the casting director, the male controlling the camera pointed at him, and the female assistant standing next to the table with a notepad in hand. “Start whenever, don’t wait on us,” the director announced, not looking up from his phone. Atsumu shifted his stance and shook his hands to try and ease his slight nerves.

“No, yeah, I totally get it. Things aren’t working out between us, and maybe it’s for the best. You want your life, and I want mine. Maybe… maybe one day things will work out between us, and we’ll be able to live the life we planned out, but right now, I think it’d be b-”

“That’s enough, thank you,” the casting director announced, motioning for the cameraman to cut off the recording.

“Oh,” Atsumu exclaimed quietly, glancing down at his feet and avoiding eye contact with the people at the table. “Do you want me to go again? I can, if you want. I could, ya know, maybe if ya wanted-” he started asking for another chance, but his nerves were bringing out the accent he was trying to hide. It had taken him a few years to get rid of his dialect, but he felt he finally achieved a similar way of speaking to that of Tokyo natives.

“Uh, no. Thank you, have a nice day,” the director replied, shoo-ing him away and looking at the long list of other actors he was going to see that day.

Atsumu walked out of the room with his head hung low and his spirits crushed. He thought this would be the one— the role he would nail and get famous from. Is this really what he wanted? All of the _declined_ emails he was receiving were beginning to be a drain that sucked down his happiness and hopes. His mother had told him he could be a star one day, but, clearly, she didn’t know how intense the acting game was.

Walking out of the building, he pulled his keys out of his pants pocket and unlocked the car doors. He thought of the male he had run into that morning in traffic, and he wondered what kind of life he lived. His car was pretty nice, so Atsumu assumed the other had money. Sighing, he placed his key into the keyhole and turned it sideways. The familiar hum of the vehicle gave him a much needed sense of comfort, and, with that, he began to drive home.

“I’m home,” Atsumu mumbled as he unlocked the apartment’s front door. A head of black and white hair peaked out from around the corner.

“Atsumu!” Kita exclaimed, a smile on his face that slowly wavered as he noticed the sad look on Atsumu’s face. “What happened at the audition? Didn’t go well?” he asked sincerely, holding the boy’s hands in his own in a comforting manner. Atsumu felt himself relaxing and melting into the older’s gentle embrace.

“Yeah. They cut off as I was speaking,” he scoffed, throwing his keys into the bowl by the front door, “but whatever. Their loss, I guess,” Atsumu grumbled, rubbing his eyes with his hands to try and clear his thoughts.

“You’ll get em next time, Tsumu, promise,” Kita smiled, his hand now on the other’s cheek. “Anyway, get out of your funk. We’re going to a party tonight, apparently. Rin’s friend or something texted him about it, so he’s forcing us to go. Sorry that role didn’t go your way, but I have like a hundred other opportunities in my emails that could fit you perfectly! This time next year, you’ll be a star! I promise.”

“Thanks, Shinsuke,” Atsumu smiled. “I’ll go get ready,” he added after receiving a teasing look from the older.

He wasn’t sure what he should wear, but if the invite was from one of Suna’s friends, he assumed it would be fancy. While he did miss the atmosphere that surrounded the parties of the rich and elite, part of Atsumu didn’t want to be around so many successful people at once— it reminded him of what he didn’t have. He sighed and threw endless pairs of pants, shirts, and shoes out of his closet. Why was finding an outfit so hard?

 _I’ll take one of Samu’s shirts,_ he thought to himself. His twin wasn’t home yet, so there should be no issue with taking clothes out of his closet. He flipped through clothes for about ten minutes before giving up and returning to his own room. _What a flop,_ he thought to himself. 

Atsumu finally decided on a basic button-down from his own closet, a pair of slacks, dress shoes, and a long, brown coat that Aran had lent him. He showered quickly before getting dressed and waited in the living room of their shared apartment for the others to finish getting dressed.

“Hey, Atsumu,” a voice said from across the room. Atsumu looked up from his phone and saw it was Aran; dressed in some of his nicest clothes and looking amazing because _god_ was Aran built well. Of course, it was mostly due to his intense workout routine, but Atsumu applauded his god-like build for whatever the cause of its existence was.

“Hey, Aran. What’d ya do today?” he asked, standing up to shake his roommate’s hand. Aran shrugged.

“Nothing much. Worked out, ate, went to work, edited some manuscripts, went to lunch with Shinsuke, went back to editing, and now I’m here. Pretty uneventful, but still enjoyable,” the muscular male replied. Atsumu nodded.

“That’s cool,” he sighed, checking his watch and wondering where everyone else was at. “Hey, do you know if anyone else is almost ready? I assumed I’d be one of the last one’s ready, but here we are.”

“Kita’s almost ready, Samu’s meeting us there, Rin’s with Samu, and we’re ready. So we’re really just waiting on Shinsuke- speak of the devil,” Aran laughed as Kita walked out of their bedroom; dressed in an outfit similar to that of Atsumu and Aran’s.

“About time, Shinsuke,” Atsumu jokingly scoffed as he went to grab his keys out of the bowl. Kita whacked him upside the head. “Ok, ok, sorry,” he laughed, rubbing his head and opening the front door.

“Yeah, that’s enough out of you. I know you had a questionable day, but I won’t be disrespected by a child,” Kita announced, trudging through the doorway with Aran’s hand in his own. Aran laughed at the dumbfounded look on Atsumu’s face.

“I’m only a year younger!” he called out, shutting the door and running to the car.

Aran was sitting in the driver’s seat, and Kita was in the passenger seat; due to this, Atsumu was stuck in the back— he was very upset and pouted the entire trip.

“Why’s the place so far away,” Aran groaned, staring at the stop light in front of the car. Kita laughed and tried to find another path on the map, but Atsumu just groaned back.

“At least you’re not in the back like a child!” he complained. Kita flicked his forehead from the front.

“Stop complaining before you walk.”

Atsumu shut up for the rest of the ride, and, shortly after, the trio arrived at Suna’s friend’s house. “Finally,” they sighed peacefully, all hopping out of the parked car before walking into the large mansion in front of them.

They were immediately greeted by loud sounds of laughing, talking, music being blasted from inside and outside of the house, and wailing police sirens in the distance. Yes, this was the bumbling atmosphere that Atsumu had missed so dearly. The messes of that morning could be forgotten after an evening of dancing and drinking surrounded by his friends and hundreds of other random people he’d probably never see again. He was so desperate to rid himself of the negative emotions he was feeling that he left Aran and Kita in the dust— running through the mansion and to the backyard that almost _promised_ to have a bar. He was right.

Staggering around through a house at a party wasn’t quite how Atsumu wanted to spend his evening, but it sure did get his mind off of the not-so-great afternoon he had experienced. Eventually, he ran into his four housemates and stayed put with them on a velvet couch in the living room.

Hanging out with his high school best friends turned roommates was always fun, but the noise from the party echoing through his mind was too much for Atsumu. The commotion from floors above, laughing and chatter from the couch over, the music being played _way_ too loud outside and inside of the house, and the yells of his somewhat drunken friends next to him because they couldn’t hear each other.

“I’m- I’m gonna head out,” Atsumu announced loudly to the group, his head slightly panging as he waved goodbye to them. Kita, the only one in the right state of mind, had a concerned look on his face.

“Do you want me to drive you home? Sorry for pushing you to come, ‘Tsumu. I can drive you then come back for them,” Kita offered, standing up to be closer to the blonde male so he wouldn’t have to yell.

“No, it’s fine. I wanna walk, anyway,” Atsumu replied, hugging Kita and then walking out of the loud, large house that served as a reminder to Atsumu of everything he couldn’t accomplish.

He walked along a dimly lit street and attempted to clear the foggy thoughts that were dancing through his forehead. Walking was a challenge seeing as he wasn’t the most sober, but he could feel the effects of the alcohol wearing off. He could hear music being played from a distance, and he was intrigued.

Building after building he entered and left in attempt to find where the mellifluous sounds of the piano were coming from. After many failed entries, he found himself at the door of a nice restaurant and went in— even though his mind was screaming at him and telling him not to.

He entered the establishment and stared in awe of the well composed man that sat yards away from him. He and the piano seemed to be one, and the delicate touch of his fingers on the keys mirrored the way Suna acted with his niece. The piano itself was singing a song that seemed to move in waves, and Atsumu could feel himself being swept under the current. The black-haired male moved back and forth, ebbing and flowing with the song of love that was being played by his nimble fingers.

He knew just when to quiet down and louden in volume, and the feelings he had in his heart were so obviously poured out into his music. Atsumu wondered who in the world could make someone feel so in love that they could incorporate it into their craft in such a beautiful way. The repetition of the left hand’s counter-melody rang out and begged to be put on the spotlight, yet the right hand’s beautiful chords and rhythms wouldn’t allow it. There was a great contrast between the two hands, and the man’s foot worked wonders on the pedal, allowing both to be drawn out and enjoyed to the fullest extent.

Atsumu wasn’t a pianist- he wasn’t musically inclined at all, he could only somewhat sing- but he knew the pianist had spent years perfecting his abilities. The song abandoned its original theme and moved into the next, and the blonde, somewhat drunken male stared in awe of the pianist’s fingers as they moved up and down the piano. There was a transition back into the original theme and Atsumu felt himself swaying along to the familiar melody. The song climaxed beautifully, slowly coming back down before the delicate ending rang out through the establishment.

* * *

“YOU SHOULD HAVE PLANNED BETTER, IDIOT!” Sakusa yelled out of the side of his car. He rolled his eyes at the other’s own incompetence and poor planning as he sped through the cars in front of him. He personally wasn’t in a rush, but the interaction he had just experienced made him want to be in spite of the blonde.

Horns honked at Sakusa, and he rolled his eyes at the drivers. He had nowhere to be, but he found himself driving faster than necessary.

Stopping at a coffee shop was a normal part of Sakusa’s daily routine, and he did so before running home. He had gotten a job at a restaurant playing piano music; which, he wasn’t extremely fond of, but anything to play the bills.

“AGH! What the hell, Motoya?” Sakusa shrieked after opening his already unlocked door. His cousin was sitting on his couch even though he had no clue when he let himself in. “What are you doing here? Jesus,” he scoffed, his hand on his chest in an attempt to calm himself down.

“Just checking in on you. Do you have any food? Also, your mom asked if you wanted to come to dinner, but I know you guys haven’t been on good terms in years, so I told her you had plans… speaking of plans, have you been on any dates recently?” Komori rambled, waiting for his cousin to reply.

“No, I haven’t. I’ve been too busy practicing,” he replied, motioning towards the piano in his living room and completely ignoring everything else his cousin mentioned. Komori rolled his eyes at Sakusa’s response and shook his head in disapproval.

“Well, I have like ten dudes who would love to go out with you- for whatever reason,” he threw in at the end with a laugh. Sakusa kicked his shin. “Ow… anyway, see you later, Kiyo,” Komori sighed, getting up from the couch and walking over to the front door. “And get a new lock, it was way too easy to pick.”

“Maybe just don’t pick my locks? If you really want a key I’ll give you one, weirdo!” Sakusa yelled out at his cousin. He closed the door after making sure his cousin got into his car then went to his room and took a nap.

About an hour after falling asleep, a phone alarm rang in Sakusa’s ear. He groaned, reaching over to stop the beeping. He pulled himself out of the bed and walked into his bathroom to turn on his shower.

He dried himself off with a towel on his bathroom chair and turned on his record player that had been used the night before. Sounds of piano played through his apartment, and the black-haired male swayed his head to the sweet tones of the black and white keys being played. He checked his watch- hoping he wasn’t running too late- and grabbed the car keys from his bowl by the front door of his apartment.

The commute to the restaurant was short, but, similar to Sakusa’s morning, traffic was horrible. He felt himself gripping the steering wheel of his vintage car tightly, and the heat from the sun shining above him made his attitude worse. _Stupid sun,_ he thought in his head, flipping his middle finger at the big, flaming ball of gas millions of miles away.

Finally, traffic began to move, and he arrived at the restaurant in no time. He spoke to the manager, and the two of them were able to come to an agreement: he played piano in the background, and in return he was paid 1,000 yen per hour. 

Sakusa sat at the restaurant’s grand piano and rested his fingers on the ivory keys. It had been a while since he performed in front of people, but even now he wouldn’t be the center of attention— he was nothing more than mere background noise. The manager of the restaurant had requested he just play “simple tunes to soothe the spirits of everyone eating.” Sakusa tried not to gag at his ridiculous statement.

The piano bench was unsettlingly cold, and Sakusa shivered underneath his suit. He began to play Debussy’s Reverie, and thought of what Komori had told him at his apartment.

Did he really need to get out there more? Would being in a relationship be that impactful? Millions of questions ran through his head as he reached the transition between themes. He felt himself beginning to sway along to the entrancing rhythm and melody of the somewhat romantic piece and fading into the piece the farther he went. From a distance, he could feel someone’s eyes burning holes into his side, but he ignored it and trudged on.

 _What about the guy from this morning?_ a voice in the back of his head asked quietly. Sakusa hoped he didn’t visibly shudder at the thought. Sure, the male was attractive, but he seemed like an incompetent jerk. Was that someone Sakusa would even want to waste his time on? Practicing was something he needed to do, so was he really ready to give that time up for someone he doesn’t even know?

The song came to a soft ending, and Sakusa stood up to go to the bathroom. Light claps echoed through the dimly-lit restaurant— so vision was limited. He squinted, trying to find the bathroom door.

“Watch it,” he grumbled after running into a male slightly shorter than himself.

“I was gonna tell ya I liked yer playin, but if yer gonna be a jerk about it then never mind!” the, assumingly drunken, male replied. His words were ever so slightly slurred, and his eyes were squinted in pain like he had a headache.

“Wait- are you… are you the traffic guy?” they simultaneously asked. 

**Author's Note:**

> this will def be 4 parts  
> -chapter 2 will come out mar. 27  
> -chapter 3 will come out apr. 3  
> -chapter 4 will come out apr. 10  
> (all 2021 lol)  
> please comment, share, and/or give kudos if you enjoyed !! it helps me stay motivated :)


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